Boston Marathon Policing Controversy

The videos here make it clear they were disrupting the race and it needed to be stopped. We could argue if the number of police was over the top or not but don’t know how they reacted when the cops first asked them to stop.
After seeing this it feels like unnecessarily playing the victim card

They were asked multiple times by newton police to stop running in the road and impeding the runners

Multiple times they got in front of other runners just so they could make videos with their friends. (Their own videos show this)

They were throwing confetti and using a bubble gun on an already wet road.

If you want to cheer on your friends, make signs, yell for them super loud. Don't run out in front of other runners and throw crap in the road just so you can make a tiktok video or whatever.

This is the entire argument.

I think when you watch those videos on Turtleboy, it is obvious that what they were doing as spectators was stepping over the line a bit, and the cops had the right to go over and stop them.

I am of the opinion that a line of cops in front AND BEHIND them was overkill. The outraged are claiming that this overkill amount of police was due to racism. I think it was simply due to the fact that there were already that many cops in the area due to the nature of policing at the Marathon post-2013, and this was the one call they received, so they all showed up to the scene.

This is where these kind of arguments get muddled and become "us vs. them".

You can acknowledge that the spectators were doing something wrong and were rightfully being told to stop while also acknowledging that the Newton PD didn't need a line of cops in front and behind them to do so.

You can also think a little critically and realize that the city of Newton probably didn't overreact and hit the panic button, purposely sending that many cops to that area because it was a bunch of black spectators. They likely just requested cops in the area go monitor the area, and they had so many out on the scene already that what resulted was an excessive amount showing up standing around with nothing to do...

I just think this is another example of there being a clear middle ground if you stop and think about the situation critically, but no one will do that...

If you ask them multiple times to stop doing it, and they don't, how do you address it?

"When asked for an explanation we were told we needed to stay behind the barrier and 'that was a problem', no further explanation".

What else do you need??? Don't jump on the course 10 people with flags and confetti.

Triggered? These people just want to divide the world in race and color.

You can certainly change the subject and you're right that there have been some crappy comments on the thread...but my initial post/question was directed at both the context surrounding the initial tweet and Kara's response (which beyond sex, given her prominence in the sport, is completely reasonable).

And I think it's shortsighted to say people haven't been focused on the tweet itself...there has been a lot of helpful discussion here, beyond some garbage takes, in trying to make sense of that initial post and the circumstances surrounding that video.

It looks like there is a ton of confetti on their side of the course and not the other side. Were they blasting confetti at runners and someone complained, and the police had to show up and respond to the call? I'm sure there is a lot to the story we do not know, but social justice warriors hate the police so I get why Kara reposted the video.

Yes. There is an article, linked somewhere here, that explains they were firing off confetti, but the worst part are groups of them getting on the course to celebrate their own runners, and in that way probably getting in the way of others.

I mean it's not that bad at all from my standpoint, but when told by the organisers that it's not allowed to step on the course, they yelled "racism".

According to the Boston Globe, it was the BAA who asked Newton Police to intervene on three separate occasions. It was not a homeowner calling the police.

MLB fan runs on the field and security gets them, racist?

It's crazy how Alison, who has never run a marathon, is so chummy with Des, Lauren, and Kara - simply because she wrote a book about being a black.

Alison has run multiple marathon’s since 2012.

People seem to struggle with identifying the problem. If the problem is confetti poppers and too many people on the course (course safety), that can be a real issue as you have identified.

The ACTUAL problem/question is: why does it take 45 cops surrounding the cheer squad to handle what is clearly a minor issue? You dont feel like thats an over reaction? You dont think that..say 3 cops could have come over, and..idk had a conversation with the leaders and asked them to put away the popper? Watch the course cutting?

Personally, I've been a person who has jumped onto the course at a majors...and 1 cop politely asked me to stay behind the white chalk line.

It's not the poppers that's the problem. It's the reaction.

They were asked multiple times to stop.

The guy in the video makes it seem like the police showed up and all he and the group wanted to do was cheer and high five runners.

that created a false narrative.

the reaction to have police on both sides of the group may be excessive

The group looks well intentioned and really do want to encourage runners and may do the stuff they were doing at smaller events and no one has a problem with it. But the Boston Marathon is not a small event and the course should be clear for runners.

You can see that there are a lot of people running at that time and that area always has some people struggling and others trying to pass the people slowing down so it feels kind of narrow without people jumping on the course.

The group thinks they did nothing wrong or when they do jump on the course to run with friends it is no big deal since they think others do it too. I don’t think it is common for other people to jump on the course to run with friends. I haven’t seen that. There are barriers in crowded areas to prevent that.

The one guy who complained they were too loud seems like an a$$. there was lots of loud music in the course.

If they were told to stop entering the course and kept doing it anyways then they have ground to stand on here.

the B.A.A. wrote up a response.

It's all marketing. These people's 'jobs' are all about virtue signaling to make them and woke people feel like half the country are not as good as them.